Detection of electrostatic charge in flowing materials

ABSTRACT

Electrostatic charge is detected in a turbulently flowing material by arranging an electrode so that there is induced on it a potential dependent on the charge concentration in the material, and sensing the magnitude of the alternating component of the induced potential due to the turbulence.

United States Patent 91 Beck Aug. 14, 1973 DETECTION OF ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE IN FLOWING MATERIALS Inventor: Maurice Sidney Beck, Bradford 9,

Yorkshire, England Assignee: National Research Development Corporation, London, England Filed: Dec. 11, 1970 Appl. No.: 97,182

Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 15, 1969 Great Britain 61,040/69 US. Cl 324/109, 324/32, 324/72, 340/236 Int. Cl. G0lr 5/28, G01r 29/12 Field of Search 324/109, 32, 72; 310/7; 73/194 E; 317/2, 3, 262; 137/2;

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Mayo et a1 317/2 2,909,190 10/1959 Wilson 317/2 3,453,538 7/1969 Wright et a1 324/72 3,368,144 2/1968 Gerdes 324/32 2,827,577 3/1958 Kimberlin, Jr. et a1 310/7 X 2,491,445 12/1949 Cunningham et al 324/32 X 2,909,190 10/1959 Wilson 324/32 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 701,955 1/1954 Great Britain 324/72 Primary ExaminerRudolph V. Rolinec Assistant ExaminerEmest F. Karlsen Attorney-Cushman, Darby and Cushman 1 ABSTRACT Electrostatic charge is detected in a turbulently flowing material by arranging an electrode so that there is induced on it a potential dependent on the charge concentration in the material, and sensing the magnitude of the alternating component of the induced potential due to the turbulence.

12 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures AMPLIFIER RECTIFIER Amiga AND CONTROL cuzcun POWDER FLOW PATENTEDMIBM ms 3753102 a 9 v 6 1 1 2 5 A. c. RECTIFIER ALARM AMPLIFIER CIRCUIT AND/0R DETECTION OF ELECTROSTATIC CHARGE IN FLOWING MATERIALS It is known that electrostatic charge may be generated during the flow of various materials, and this may lead to an explosion or fire hazard if the charge accumulates, for example in a container into which the flowing material is fed. The charge generation may occur because of the inherent nature of the flowing material, as in the case of the pneumatic conveyance of particulate materials such as flour or cement, or because of. the presence of a contaminant in the flowing material, for example water in a petroleum liquid.

In order to assess the degree of risk involved in any particular case, it may be desired to provide a means for measuring the electrostatic charge concentration either in the flowing material or in a container into which this material discharges. A known form of instrument which could be used for this purpose comprises a highly insulated electrode which is arranged so that there is induced on it a potential dependent on the electrostatic charge concentration to be measured, and a dc. voltmeter for. measuring the induced potential. This form of instrument is, however, subject to gross inaccuracies because of leakage resistance variations, particularly when used in an industrial context.

The present invention is based on therealisation that in the case of a turbulently flowing material much greater accuracy can be achieved in the measurement of electrostatic charge concentration if, instead of directly measuring its mean value by means of a do technique, one senses the random fluctuations due to the turbulence by means of an ac. technique. It will be appreciated that the flow will normally be of a turbulent nature in cases in which there is a high rate of charge generation giving rise to a significant explosion or fire risk.

Thus according to the invention there is provided apparatus for detecting electrostatic charge in a turbulently flowing material, comprising an electrode associ: ated with a conduit for the material so that there will be induced on the electrode a potential dependent on the electrostatic charge concentration in the material flowing through the conduit, and means responsive to the magnitude of the alternating component of the induced potential due to the turbulence.

This alternating component has a character similar to band-limited white noise, and it can be shown that its magnitude is dependent on the mean value of the electrostatic charge concentration and the mean velocity of flow. Where the latter is constant, as will commonly be the case in situations in which such an apparatus is used, the magnitude of the alternating component will give a direct measure of the mean value of the electrostatic charge concentration.

The apparatus may be arranged to give an indication of the magnitude of the alternating component; it may also, or instead, be arranged to operate an alarm and/or a control in response to the occurrence of a value of the magnitude of the alternating component exceeding a predetermined value.

The invention further provides a method of detecting electrostatic charge in a turbulently flowing material, comprising causing the material to flow past an electrode so that there is induced on the electrode a potential dependent on the electrostatic charge concentration in the material, and deriving a signal representative of the magnitude of the alternating component of the induced potential due to-the turbulence.

One arrangement in accordance with the invention will be described by. way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of an apparaa tus for detecting electrostatic charge in a powdered material transported along apneumatic conveyor; and

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the equivalent circuit of the apparatus of FIG. I.

The conveyor is arranged to discharge the powder into a hopper, and the charge detection apparatus is providedin order to obtain a continuous assessment of the risk'of an explosion in the hopper due to charging of the powder in the conveyor. Referring to FIG. l,"the conveyor has a tubular metal wall 1 a portion of which is cut away to form a semi-cylindrical aperture near the outlet of the conveyor. In the aperture is disposed an electrode 2 in the form of a semi-cylindrical metal sheet conforming in shape with the wall I, the dimen' sions ofthe electrode 2 being SUCIIl as to leave between it and the wall I a gap about 3 mm.wide which is filled with a suitable dielectric material 3 to insulate the electrode 2 from the wall 1.

vIn operation a potential is induced on the electrode 2 relative to the wall 1, due to the electrostatic charge on the powder flowing through the conveyor. In normal operation the flow is at a high velocity such that considerable turbulence occurs, the mean air' velocity(and hence the mean particle velocity) along the length of the conveyor being substantially constant. As a result the induced potential consists of a undirectional component whose magnitude is dependent on the mean electrostatic charge concentration in the vicinity of the electrode 2 and an alternating component, due to the turbulence and having the character of noise, whose magnitude is also dependent on the mean electrostatic charge concentration in the vicinity of the elecrode-Z; typically the R.M.S. value of the alternating component may be about 30% of the magnitude of the unidirectional component. i

The magnitude of alternating component is measured by means of an ac. voltmeter 4. The voltmeter 4 comprises an input potential divider consisting of resistors 5 and 6, which may be shunted by a. neon tube 7 serving to bypass any voltage surges due to sparking to the electrode 2, the resistor 6 being variable to adjust the sensitivity of the voltmeter 4; the resistor 5 may suitably have a value of 10 megohms, and the resistor 6a maximum value of megohms. The alternating component of the voltage appearing across the resistor 5 is amplified by an a.c. amplifier 8 having a pass-band of 1-4000 Hz. and designed to have a high input impedance (say greater than I megohm) over this frequency band. The output of the amplifier 8 is rectified by a circuit 9, and the rectified output is applied to a d.c. meter 10 whose reading gives an indication of the electrostatic. charge concentration at the: outlet of the conveyor.

The relationship between the reading of the meter 10 and the explosion risk for a given powder at a given ve locity can be determined empirically by feeding the output of the conveyor into a vessel where charge may be accumulated under worst-case conditions. The powder and the conveying air should be dry in order to generate sufficient charge to lead to an explosion in the test vessel, the contents of which should be agitated by dry compressed air.

The output from the rectifier circuit 9 is also applied via a variable potentiometer 11 to a circuit 12 incorporating a trigger circuit set to operate when the input voltage exceeds a predetermined level corresponding to a desired safety factor in respect of the explosionv risk. Operation of the trigger circuit is arranged to acutate an alarm and/or an automatic control for stopping the flow of the powder through the conveyor or for humidifying the air in the conveyor. The rectifier circuit 9 is arranged to have a smoothing time constant of about flve seconds, so that short term irregularities in the charge concentration in the conveyor will not cause false operation of the circuit 112 or unsteady readings of the meter 10.

The equivalent circuit of the apparatus described above is shown in FIG. 2, in which V, and V respectively represent the unidirectional and alternating components of the voltage generated by the charge, C, and C, respectively represent the effective mean capacitance between the powder and the electrode 2 and the capacitance between the electrode 2 and the wall I, R, represents the composite effect of the charge transmitted through the air by direct leakage and the charge transmitted by charged particles striking the electrode 2, and R 'represents the combined effect of the leakage resistance associated with the capacitance C and the input resistance of the voltmeter 4. It will be seen that for a given magnitude of V,, the magnitude of the alternating component of the voltage V,, appearing across the capacitance C will depend on the values of C,, C R, and R At frequencies sufficiently high for the impedances of the capacitances C, and C to be small respectively compared with the resistances R, and R which will be the case over the whole or nearly the whole of the pass-band of the amplifier 8, the presence of the resistances R, and R, can be ignored, so that the measurement accuracy will depend simply on the values of the capacitances C, and C The value of C, is inherently stable, while the value of C, will be stable where the mean particle density is uniform over the cross-section of the conveyor, or where the density distribution does not vary with time even if it is nonuniform.

This situation may be contrasted with the use of an instrument of the known form referred to above, which would involve replacement of the voltmeter 4 by a dc. voltmeter with a view to measuring the voltage V,. In this case the capacitances C, and C, need not be taken into account, so that the measurement accuracy would be dependent solely on the values of the resistances R, and R Since R, can vary with atmospheric humidity, and R is low compared with R,, and can vary both with atmospheric humidity and the state ofcleanliness of the insulation of the measuring electrode, the measurement in this case would be liable to serious errors.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited in its application to gas/solid systems, as in the appara- 6 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the con-f duit is a pneumatic conveyor.

3. Apparatus for detecting electrostatic charge generated in a turbulently flowing material comprising:

a conduit for carrying the flow of said material;

an electrode associated with said conduit and in intimate contact with the flowing material wherein there is induced on the electrode a potential having direct and alternating components dependent upon the magnitude of the electrostatic charge concentration in the, material, the latter induced as a result of the turbulent flow of material through the conduit; and

means responsive to the magnitude of the alternating component of the induced potential due to the turbulence for producing an output dependent thereon. 4. Apparatus accoding to claim 3 wherein said conduit comprises a pneumatic conveyor.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said pneumatic conveyor is a cylindrical member having an aperture therein and said electrode is disposed so as to seal said aperture and dielectric member is disposed between said electrode and said cylindrical member for insultaing one from the other.

6. Apparatus for detecting electrostatic charge in a turbulently flowing material, the apparatus comprising: an electrode associated with a conduit for the flowing material so as to be exposed in a substantially invariant manner to the influence of electrostatic charge in material flowing through said conduit, whereby when material containing electrostatic charge flows unidirectionally through said conduit in a turbulent manner therewill be induced on said electrode a potential dependent on the electrostatic charge concentration and having both a direct component and a randomly fluctuating component the latter due to he turbulence; and

means responsive to the magnitude of said randomly fluctuating component of the induced potential at no greater than the audio frequency range.

7. A method of detecting electrostatic charge in a flowing material, the method comprising:

causing the material to flow unidirectionally in a turublent manner past an electrode which is exposed in a substantially invariant manner to the influence of electrostatic charge in the flowing material, whereby there is induced on said electrode a potential dependent on the electrostatic charge concentration and having both a direct component and a randomly fluctuating component the latter component due to the turbulence; and

deriving a signal representative of the magnitude of said randomly fluctuating component of the induced potential.

8. A method according to claim 7, in which the flowing material is a pneumatically conveyed particulate material. 7

9. Apparatus for detecting an electrostatic charge existent in a turbulently flowing material, comprising:

an electrode, a conduit associated therewith for carinvariant manner to the influence of electrostatic rying the flowing material unidirectionally therecharge in said material, through, said electrode exposed to the influence of measuring an induced electric potential in said elec- Said electrostatic Charge in the material in a trode in accordance with the concentration of said stantially invariant manner, and said electrostatic 5 electrostatic charge Said potential having both a charge inducing on said electrode a potential defeet componem and an alternating component, the

pendent upon charge concentration thereof, said potential exhibiting both a direct component and a randomly fluctuating component the latter component due to the turbulence; and means responsive 10 to the magnitude of said randomly fluctuating componem of the induced potential for producing an 11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Output indicative thereofi frequency of the alternating current component 18 up 10. A method of detecting electrostatic charge in a to about 4,000 material, th h d i i 5 12. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the generating a flow of the material unidirectionally in q ncy o t e a te nating Current Component is up a turbulent manner; to about 4,000 Hz. exposing an electrode to said flow in a substantially latter due to the turbulence,

deriving a signal having a magnitude representative of the randomlyfluctuating component of said induced potential. 

1. Apparatus for use with a conduit carrying a turbulently flowing material for detecting electrostatic charge therein, comprising an electrode associated with the conduit for the material so that there will be induced on the electrode a potential dependent on the electrostatic charge concentration in the material flowing through the conduit, and means responsive to the magnitude of an alternating component of the induced potential said alternating component being due to the turbulence and having a maximum frequency characteristic of the audio frequency range.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the conduit is a pneumatic cOnveyor.
 3. Apparatus for detecting electrostatic charge generated in a turbulently flowing material comprising: a conduit for carrying the flow of said material; an electrode associated with said conduit and in intimate contact with the flowing material wherein there is induced on the electrode a potential having direct and alternating components dependent upon the magnitude of the electrostatic charge concentration in the, material, the latter induced as a result of the turbulent flow of material through the conduit; and means responsive to the magnitude of the alternating component of the induced potential due to the turbulence for producing an output dependent thereon.
 4. Apparatus accoding to claim 3 wherein said conduit comprises a pneumatic conveyor.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said pneumatic conveyor is a cylindrical member having an aperture therein and said electrode is disposed so as to seal said aperture and dielectric member is disposed between said electrode and said cylindrical member for insultaing one from the other.
 6. Apparatus for detecting electrostatic charge in a turbulently flowing material, the apparatus comprising: an electrode associated with a conduit for the flowing material so as to be exposed in a substantially invariant manner to the influence of electrostatic charge in material flowing through said conduit, whereby when material containing electrostatic charge flows unidirectionally through said conduit in a turbulent manner therewill be induced on said electrode a potential dependent on the electrostatic charge concentration and having both a direct component and a randomly fluctuating component the latter due to he turbulence; and means responsive to the magnitude of said randomly fluctuating component of the induced potential at no greater than the audio frequency range.
 7. A method of detecting electrostatic charge in a flowing material, the method comprising: causing the material to flow unidirectionally in a turublent manner past an electrode which is exposed in a substantially invariant manner to the influence of electrostatic charge in the flowing material, whereby there is induced on said electrode a potential dependent on the electrostatic charge concentration and having both a direct component and a randomly fluctuating component the latter component due to the turbulence; and deriving a signal representative of the magnitude of said randomly fluctuating component of the induced potential.
 8. A method according to claim 7, in which the flowing material is a pneumatically conveyed particulate material.
 9. Apparatus for detecting an electrostatic charge existent in a turbulently flowing material, comprising: an electrode, a conduit associated therewith for carrying the flowing material unidirectionally therethrough, said electrode exposed to the influence of said electrostatic charge in the material in a substantially invariant manner, and said electrostatic charge inducing on said electrode a potential dependent upon charge concentration thereof, said potential exhibiting both a direct component and a randomly fluctuating component the latter component due to the turbulence; and means responsive to the magnitude of said randomly fluctuating component of the induced potential for producing an output indicative thereof.
 10. A method of detecting electrostatic charge in a material, the method comprising: generating a flow of the material unidirectionally in a turbulent manner; exposing an electrode to said flow in a substantially invariant manner to the influence of electrostatic charge in said material, measuring an induced electric potential in said electrode in accordance with the concentration of said electrostatic charge said potential having both a direct component and an alternating component, the latter due to the turbulence, deriving a signal having a magnitude representative of the randomly fluctuating component of said induced potential.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency of the alternating current component is up to about 4,000 Hz.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the frequency of the alternating current component is up to about 4,000 Hz. 